Video: “The Daily Show” on the White House’s Libya cover-up

posted at 4:41 pm on October 2, 2012 by Allahpundit

Gotta take the bitter with the sweet here. On the one hand, the White House’s contradictions are treated essentially as a big miscommunication, with the smoking gun about how soon U.S. intel knew that it was a terror attack dispensed with in the last 20 seconds. On the other hand, the fact that they’re talking about this at all is commendable and noteworthy as evidence that the story’s broken out of the normal cable news/blogosphere partisan political box. If they’re willing to spend five minutes of airtime dissecting the White House’s feeble spin, maybe they’ll spend a few more tonight or tomorrow on that devastating letter that Issa sent today. Ed did a bang-up job covering it this morning, but if you haven’t read the letter itself yet, stop what you’re doing and read it now [PDF]. There’s no substitute for seeing the many warning signs ignored by State presented in sequence. The White House’s response:

“I’m not going to get into a situation under review by the State Department and the FBI,” Carney said…

Carney said that “embassy security is a matter that is in the purview of the State Department,” and noted that “Secretary Clinton instituted an accountability review that is underway as we speak” while the investigation of the attack itself is being conducted by the FBI.

As you’ll see in the clip, this isn’t the first time Carney’s said he can’t get into a matter that’s under investigation before getting right into it to push the administration line. (Also, is that second paragraph the first inkling of a “blame State, not the president” CYA strategy? I didn’t think we’d reached that point yet.) I’m less concerned about contradictions in the White House’s spin than I am in nailing down what they knew — or what they should have known — about conditions in the city before Stevens was killed. The dissembling is important and should be covered, of course, but it’s the intelligence and security failures that led to a body count here. The latest on that point from Time mag:

Among Libyan intelligence experts, however, the early statements out of Washington seemed confounding, since in their view a terrorist attack had seemed almost foretold–and disconnected from the protests against the YouTube video. “It had absolutely nothing to do with the ridiculous film about the Prophet,” [former Libyan rebel intel chief Rami al-]Obeidi told TIME. He says he had in fact been deeply concerned about a possible attack in Benghazi, where the revolution began last year. “Don’t forget, al-Qaeda had started to operate right from the beginning of the Revolution,” he says, speaking from Benghazi, where the revolution began early last year. “They have been in preparation mode and organized their ranks from the first week of March of 2011, and infiltrated many of the brigades.”…

As soon as the video hit the Internet, an al-Qaeda strike in Libya seemed possible, according to Noman Benotman, the former commander of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, which had been an al-Qaeda affiliate until breaking ranks with Osama Bin Laden in the 2000s. Speaking to TIME on Tuesday, Benotman says he told a Western terrorism expert — whom he did not name — that “if nothing happens by Sept. 13 we will be very lucky, but the next 48 hours there is a very high possibility.” Benotman, who now runs the anti-extremist organization Quilliam Foundation in London says that he and that expert have since “met and he said, ‘you were right.’”…

Obeidi has a simpler explanation for why the U.S. apparently missed the threat of an attack: “There was a massive intelligence failure on behalf of our American friends,” he says, adding: “However, I do believe that the Americans learn very fast from their mistakes.”

Not just a massive intelligence failure, but a massive security failure. If the compound had been heavily guarded, Chris Stevens might be alive notwithstanding the CIA’s failure to detect the impending attack. As it is, they left him with a security footprint so light you could barely see it — even though jihadism in Africa was a big enough concern that the White House had huddled months beforehand over how to stop it. Can’t wait to see how the spin will have evolved by the time of Issa’s hearings next week. In the meantime, expect plenty of strategic leaks by the administration to major papers reassuring the public that we’re going to kick the asses of whoever did this. Afghanistan v2.0?

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Gotta say, I hate these Jon Stewart pieces. I don’t want that lying sack of you-know-what’s endorsement on any issue. Nor Bill Maher’s. When we put them up like this, it makes us look like the unpopular kid at the dance standing next to the popular kid at the punchbowl and exchanging a sentence or two with him then heading back to our nerd table and saying, “I talked with the Popular Kid!”

Not just a massive intelligence failure, but a massive security failure. If the compound had been heavily guarded, Chris Stevens might be alive notwithstanding the CIA’s failure to detect the impending attack.

Unless… the attack was conducted with inside information. Not sure if this is public or not but a fairly reliable source I have has said the Benghazi visit was secret and only a handful of people would have known that the consular offices were occupied and that the Ambassador was even in Libya. Furthermore, the preplanned escape routes and the secret safe house both came under very heavy and very accurate mortar fire.

There is more to this story and it probably points to someone intimate with the Libyan leadership with divided loyalties.

Except for the fact that this dismal comedy series is the only ‘news’ source that some on the left, and even some on the right, are exposed to, I don’t care what John Stewart or any of his cohorts do or, and I use this word in the widest possible application, think.

Can’t be. Drudge is saying it’s a 6 year-old tape. Khalidi was 2003, I believe. If it’s an Obama tape as Hannity alleges, then that means it was shot before he officially announced his candidacy. I’m at a total loss as to what it could be. And for that matter, why it would harm him at this stage when so many other damning pieces of film that already surfaced have hardly dented his image.

“Secretary Clinton instituted an accountability review that is underway as we speak”

Yup, gonna pass the buck/blame to State on this one. Weird how F&F was low-level guys at DOJ, Solyndra was someone at DOE, and no one’s sure who’s fault it was that the Marines lost a Harrier squadron in Afghanistan because no one’s even asking THAT question. So:

What exactly does the White House do? Because it seems to me that they are surrounded by policy failures that never seem to cross the White House lawn. Obama is the calm little center of policy storms whos best features we’re suppose to focus on is noble intentions, not the complete clustfark of results.

And all I can do is be frustrated at the media for ignoring all of it. Palace Guard media indeed.

Can’t be. Drudge is saying it’s a 6 year-old tape. Khalidi was 2003, I believe. If it’s an Obama tape as Hannity alleges, then that means it was shot before he officially announced his candidacy. I’m at a total loss as to what it could be. And for that matter, why it would harm him at this stage when so many other damning pieces of film that already surfaced have hardly dented his image.

Doughboy on October 2, 2012 at 5:00 PM

Drudge is saying on Twitter that it will ignite charges of racism on both sides. I hope it’s an Obama tape – please let it be an Obama tape. My heart will break if it’s a Romney tape.

Yeah, it can’t be Khalidi. And he’s already committed at least a half dozen impeachable offenses with absolutely no consequences, at least as far as the media are concerned. Hopefully, the late, great Breitbart, along with the intertubes and talk radio have begun to take them down for good.

The fact anyone is making light of the First Black Preezy of the United Steezy at all is remarkable and basically signals that the love affair is over. President Obama doesn’t get his clips in until the very end, and they make him look like a completely clueless blithering idiot.

Drudge is saying on Twitter that it will ignite charges of racism on both sides. I hope it’s an Obama tape – please let it be an Obama tape. My heart will break if it’s a Romney tape.

gophergirl on October 2, 2012 at 5:03 PM

If it’s the same one Hannity is plugging, it’s most certainly an Obama tape. But, like Doughboy said earlier, nobody cared about the Rev Wright stuff or the other vids of him before, so I’m not sure why this would be any different.

Would Hannity have a scoop on a Romney tape and would he be eager to show it if it is harmful?

MississippiMom on October 2, 2012 at 5:05 PM

Hannity’s a pretty fair person. If it were anti-Mitt, I think he wouldn’t hide it, but would certainly try to defend Mitt from its implications, whatever they are. So far, every attack on Mitt has either failed or blown up in Axelrod’s face. And Mitt has been a political figure for at least a dozen years. They’e got nothing. Not that it would stop them, but they’ve got nothing.

The money quote comes at the end, where he points out that a terrorist organization the administration wants the American people to believe in dead or dying is more functional and coordinated than said administration.

OMG,Along with Allahpundit, I’m overcome with orgasmic breathlessness.
The inscrutable leader of common political wisdom actually mentioned the Libya cover-up fiasco.

If they’re willing to spend five minutes of airtime dissecting the White House’s feeble spin, maybe they’ll spend a few more tonight or tomorrow on that devastating letter that Issa sent today

.
Uh,yeah-he’ll spend the few minutes mugging while ripping on and Issa, Republicans and Romney and never hinting at the White House or his moonbat messiah’s culpability in it.
.
Say, let’s do a double header this evening and pimp up a Kos’ PPP poll!!

Agree about Hannity. His heart is in the right place, but he is so much a broken record at times that I find him impossible to listen to. Also, I feel he keeps telling us how we should feel about something. Sean, leave that to the liberals. I don’t need it from someone on our side.

Gotta say, I hate these Jon Stewart pieces. I don’t want that lying sack of you-know-what’s endorsement on any issue. Nor Bill Maher’s. When we put them up like this, it makes us look like the unpopular kid at the dance standing next to the popular kid at the punchbowl and exchanging a sentence or two with him then heading back to our nerd table and saying, “I talked with the Popular Kid!”

MaxMBJ on October 2, 2012 at 4:48 PM

I disagree. I have to say that Stewart takes on both sides on a fairly regular basis. While I think that he takes more glee from lampooning Republicans, he goes after the absurdities of Obama and the Dems with equal aplomb. I like the cut of his jib.

Oh, I knew you guys would be talking about this- I’m feeling a little sick about it. I don’t know how one tape can cause problems for both sides, besides I REALLY don’t think Romney’s a racist, but I do think Obama is.

Given what we have seen from Wright and the Joe The Plumber video, I don’t think most Obama voters actually care. They know what he is which is why they vote for him. It can only hurt Romney so I hope its about Obama, but if it is it won’t matter.

You know that Obama sycophants like Stewart, are never going to get to the bottom of anything that shines a truly negative light on the Marxist Messiah! But, like AllahP says, at least they’re talking about it.

I doubt Hannity would be plugging it if it were anti Mitt. Even for ratings. Unless it’s Mitt in blackface or some big game changer. I have to wonder if it is an Obama tape someone found. Breitbart’s revenge! If it does hurt Zero. Count on the MFM to totally ignore it.

Since there’s a Drudge tape post up now, back to the article cited in this post:

“It had absolutely nothing to do with the ridiculous film about the Prophet,” [former Libyan rebel intel chief Rami al-]Obeidi told TIME. He says he had in fact been deeply concerned about a possible attack in Benghazi, where the revolution began last year…

Obeidi has a simpler explanation for why the U.S. apparently missed the threat of an attack: “There was a massive intelligence failure on behalf of our American friends,” he says, adding: “However, I do believe that the Americans learn very fast from their mistakes.”

This Obeidi is the same Captain Obeidi whose Libyan Shield Brigade helped the 8-man special operations squad (initially reported to be U.S. Marines) rescue the 37 diplomats and CIA operatives while under attack at the annex (the consulate “safe house”) and transport them to Benghazi airport for evacuation to Tripoli, as reported in one of the first accounts of that evacuation.

So Captain Obeidi is still around, still available to the media, and the press can’t ask him for a fuller account of what happened during that rescue and evacuation? It’s not like the FBI is ever going to get to the bottom of it.

…the economy…stimlus failure…fast and furious…Lybia…the middle east in general…bundlers and green energy loans…HIS budget voted down by his own party everytime…etc.etc.etc…and people think some tape will hurt JugEars?…get real!